The evidence for the psychological benefits of animals is surprisingly weak

By Christian Jarrett To see a man’s face light up as he strokes a dog, to hear a child’s laughter as her hamster tickles her skin, it just seems obvious that animals are good for our state of mind. Let’s hope so because not only do millions of us own pets, but also animals are being used therapeutically in an increasing number of contexts, from residential care homes to airports, prisons, hospitals, schools and universities. Unfortunately, as detailed by psychologist Molly Crossman in her new review in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, the research literature has simply not kept pace with the widespread embrace of animal contact as a form of therapy in itself, or as a therapy adjunct. In short, we don’t know whether animal contact is psychologically beneficial, and if it is, we have no idea how. After several decades of animal-human interaction research, Crossman explains that the evidence is mixed: some studies have found benefits, others have not. And the research has tended to be of poor quality. In relation to animal-based therapy or animal-assisted therapy, for example, those studies showing benefits have usually only looked over short-term outcomes; they’ve not compared the generalisability of effects from one animal to another; and they’ve typically had no control condition, so there’s no way of knowing if the apparent positive outcomes are simply due to the passage of time, or to any kind of sociable or pleasura...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Mental health Methods Therapy Source Type: blogs